


Forest tales

by LesnaVra



Category: Gintama
Genre: Adventure & Drama, Families of Choice, Father-Son Relationship, Feudal AU, Friendship, Gen, OOC, child!shouyou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2020-09-01 17:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20262046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesnaVra/pseuds/LesnaVra
Summary: Gintoki is a sesonal worker, wandering from village to village. He and his little son Shouyou undertake a journey through the mountains. Attacked by bandits they got saved by a misterious person, who introduces themselves as Katsura Kotaro (and not Zura).Tags to be added, others characters will show up too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story is set in a pre-industrial era. I'm not stating it's feudal Japan, because there would be too much inaccuracies.  
So this being AU, characters have clearly different biographies and they stray into being OOC.
> 
> There is some violence and disturbing images, including minor characters deaths, and posibily some sexual themes in the future - so you are warned now, but it's nothing drastic really.
> 
> Planned lenght: ~ 30k words.

The view was appalling. White bones of limbs stuck above the undefined mass that had been a human body once. The dark pile contrasted with white round stones, covering the floor of the glen. The unlucky traveler must have fallen from the cliff above, from where the path led. The remnants of clothes, that meant, the shreds that hadn't given up to the decay yet, presented pieces of rich flowery ornaments. Colors faded to dirty gray, but Gintoki was sure it must have been a splendid robe in its best days. Poor woman. The small size of the body couldn't be decisive with all of the post-mortem transformation, however the clothes revealed the corpse's gender clear enough.

The grim image was disturbed by a delicate flicker at the place where a neck supposed to be. The man leant down, aversion ceded to curiosity. It was a chain with a pendant in a shape of a duck. A tiny; peculiar, yet elegant thing, probably of gold, taking into account the verdigris hadn't eaten it away at all. He contemplated taking in for a while. The dead didn't need trinkets and he could use the money. From the other hand the thought just tasted bad. Besides he would rather not touch the body, and robbing the dead could bring bad luck. Gintoki didn't believe in ghosts in the middle of a bright day, but his certainty would certainly wane after dark.

A loud "woah" brought him out of his thoughts. Gintoki turned back and saw his little son poking with a stick a smaller dark pile besides the corpse's legs. It looked like a bag, or what was left of it - just shreds barley holding the shape. The insides were even more unrecognizable.

"Shouyou! Don't!" he was by his boy in a split second, hoisting him up. "We let the dead rest! You wouldn't like to enrage her spirit, would you? Besides you could catch a disease," he scolded him mildly. The child gasped and squeezed his head in Gintoki's chest. Fear of ghosts. Like father like son.

The man one-handedly picked up his backpack from the ground and started walking away. What an unfortunate coincidence. He had detoured from the path that ran on the cliff above just to get some fresh water from the river that cut through the glen. He still had nothing to drink, as he didn't dare to replenish his water bag here, where the tragedy had taken place. Rationally he just needed to go a little bit up the current of the river to avoid the potential poisoning. But the glen, cut by little waterfalls and boulders couldn't be easily traversed, and a few meters he actually could walk before running into an obstacle was just too close to the corpse for his liking. He would rather not take from the dead, be it their possession or the water nearby.

"Ok, we're going up, back to the main path. We'll try in another place," he murmured to his son, who felt secure enough in the adult's arms that he pulled his neck to the side to stare at the body.

When he finally reached the trail, Gintoki led them straight into the shady shrubs in a safe distance from the path for rest. It had been a hell of a slope, steep and treacherous and with the relentless heat pouring from the sky, the man was all sweaty and out of breath. He gave Shouyou the last sips from the water bag and he took out his straw coat from their packs. The thing served them as a sleeping mat now. He spread it on the ground for the kid to lie on. The boy, well accustomed to their routine, wordlessly crawled on the bedding, stretched and yawned. The hottest part of the day was almost here. They tried to wait out the worst temperature in the shadows and catch up with the route in mornings and evenings.

Gintoki sat down nearby, resting his back on the tree trunk. He spread the hems of his gray kimono and fanned himself with his straw hat. The unoccupied hand naturally wandered to Shouyou's head. It was a blessing that he himself and the little one had fair hair so they didn't provoke unnecessary questions. But the attentive observer could catch out that the boy's hair was like a sun-burned straw while his shags took rather colder hue and curled in every direction - but when somebody actually did ask, Gintoki shamelessly explained that the boy took it after his mother.

Little Shouyou remained a puzzle. His usual terseness and withdrawn attitude made Gintoki question if he was developmentally challenged. But there were times he was just a normal, curious, stubborn youngster who loved discovering the world around him. Then at some moments Shouyou presented peculiar mature views or eyed his guardian with all-knowing eyes that sent a shiver through his spine.

Gintoki huffed, he wasn't even sure how old the boy was, probably around five, and he had no previous experience with children, so how could he know? Not before a year ago when he, the prodigal brother, came back to his home village to find his older sister having taken a child. A strange, surely traumatized orphan, because with wars, plagues, bandits, natural catastrophes and poverty raging through this forsaken country, a lonely child wandering the streets must have been just that.

With the passing of Ayano-onee-san, little Shouyou became an orphan for the second time in his short life, and Gintoki became a father for the first time in his 29-year long existence. Pretty lately, yet still quite surprising for the man who had been always avoiding getting attached. Once, only once he had found a courage to stay by a woman he thought he loved, but stupid fate ripped Tsukuyo's life away before Gintoki even dared thinking of having a child with her.

His sister had no husband or children on her own and a good heart. More than twenty years ago she had found a corpse-eating-demon and gifted him his humanity, a family, and a name that reflected his peculiar appearance - Sakata Gintoki. So maybe he just saw his past self in that boy? Or the kid offered him so much unconditional trust that he felt into this emotional trap? Being a good person to a child was so much easier that maintaining complicated relations with adults. Anyway he didn't like to analyze his motives or deeper feelings, afraid of what he could find there, he just did what seemed right at the moment. But with each passing day Shouyou had been feeling more and more _his; _Gintoki falling in love with the little creature, the strange fatherly affection he had doubted could ever exist in his heart. And one day when an innkeeper asked him about the boy, he didn't lie telling him Shouyou was his own.

Gintoki was caressing the boy's locks in peaceful strokes, but his frustration was rising. Tragic scene had disappeared from the view a long time ago, but not from his memory. The delay, the unnecessary trouble and something else waving knots of uneasiness in his stomach.

"Shouyou, please wait for me here. Stay hidden here, ok? I'll be back in an hour."

"Mhm," the boy nodded, already half-asleep.

"I'll be back, for sure," Gintoki sighed and stood up. He took a small shovel from the backpack, out of habit stuck a bokuton behind his belt and put on the hat. As if the dead could appreciate the gesture, he huffed, but hurried down to the riverbank to bury the unlucky traveler nonetheless.

[***]

Five days had passed since the unpleasant encounter. They had been walking up the mountain range. The terrain although higher, was easier to traverse now, as if that part of the path led through a plateau of a sort. They came across numerous streams and ponds which flowed almost on the same level as the duct, so fresh water didn't pose a problem anymore. Or maybe it was all the time the same rivulet, meandering, twisting like a lazy snake through the grass. Anyway it was also abundant in fish so Gintoki didn't need to worry about food or waste time for hunting or trapping. A little paradise.

The forest thinned out. Frequent clearings allowed a view around the mountains. Shouyou took the change of the landscape positively. He would run ahead on the flat terrain, explore flowers, ask his father about the insects on meadows and merrily splash in ponds, deep enough to relaxed and cool down as in the bath. Although the journey was quite pleasant now, Gintoki couldn't share his son's enthusiasm. Finally seeing the mountain peaks he realized they might have got lost.

"Otosan, swim!" Shouyou pulled on a sleeve of his kimono. They had their noon break at the glade under an ancient oak, the landscape unraveling before them. The kid had already explored the surrounding and found a suiting rivulet a few meters away.

"Not now, I need to check something."

"You promised!"

"We will, we will," he pated the boy's head, but they youngster walked away offended.

He took out the map and tried to match the drawings to the actual peaks he was seeing around. Shiroyama, the highest mountain with two fangs-like peaks should be straight ahead of them. Yet, it appeared on their right. Had they strayed too much to the East? They had been keeping with the route all the time, so Gintoki had no idea where things had gone wrong. Ah, solving problems required a clear mind. They had all the time they needed so going bathing wouldn't hurt.

He hid their stuff under the bush. The kid was drawing on the ground with a stick, little mouths pouted.

"Shouyou, now we can go." The boy didn't react. "Ok, I go, you can stay. I won't take you again if you don't like it," Gintoki pretended he was walking away.

"Who's first!" yelled the boy and ran forward, leaving the man well behind.

The water fell from a little stone brink, too small to be called a waterfall, yet the basin was waist-deep. Just enough for an adult to immerge in the pleasant coolness and for the child to have the best fun. Shouyou splashed around trying to float on the water with little success and kept falling into Gintoki's supportive arms. When the child tired himself out and went to sleep in their camp, Gintoki gave their clothes a quick wash in the stream. Boring repeated movements let his mind wander freely. Were they still on the right path? Because it was apparently a path, the road beaten by a human feet. The map might be inaccurate, trails had this tendency to meander through the time and Gintoki didn't remember any intersection where they could get lost.

And even if it hadn't been a main (and the only one in this area according to the map) road that lead to Shiroyama village - the place situated behind the mountain, taking its name from it - this path clearly led somewhere too. Possibly to the same destination, taking account its general direction and the fact that there was no other bigger settlement nearby and people didn't just tread the way into the wilderness.

Besides, it's not that he needed to arrive in Shiroyama in particular. Anywhere with a lot of people and housing would be good. He had chosen that settlement because it was the most populated, but with his kind of job he was free to go whenever he liked. No attachments, no problems, no familiar people and places to remind him about the past.

He carried a set of basic carpenter tools in his backpack. Woodwork was always in high demand thus paid well and he happened to know just enough of it to meet the needs of the peasants. Because he had no better idea he decided to wander through the country, offering his services. Usually local carpenters or builders welcomed the seasonal workers and after a few weeks, or months, when the work ran out or he got bored Gintoki would move to another place. If the local wood master was hostile or there was not much to do, Sakata would take any job to earn his living - all kinds of repairs, farming, guarding.

So he decided to walk a few days ahead and see if he reached the main route or if they detoured even further.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't pitch black anymore, yet too early to find one's way around, too early to get up. Gintoki's body still felt stiff, eyelids glued together, so it was not that his brain decided he had enough sleep. It wasn't the call of the nature either.

But the reason behind his awakening soon became clear and it demanded all of his attention at once. The tip of something cold and thin was pressed to his throat. That brought him around quicker than a bucket of icy water. His eyes shot open, the body instinctively backed away, but he earned only a few centimeters as he was already spread on the ground - and a foot to his chest, discouraging him from further struggles. It belong to a fatty silhouette that loomed in the navy dark air.

"Oi, this one is up!" the man above him shouted, "don't move or I'll cut your throat right away."

"Don't, " Gintoki whispered raspy, the word automatically flowing from his mouths while he tried to analyze the situation.

There were voices, sounds of steps around and movements of a few figures. One approached them, and knelt beside him. The man was still an.... adolescent. A deep cut that ran through his chin gave him a feral look.

"Your hands!" Gintoki didn't protest as the young one grabbed his wrist and started to tie the rope around it. "Not a budge, or my comrade will spill your guts."

Shouyou's cry cut through the air and the sounds of the struggle reached their ears. Gintoki sat up but was halted by the threatening blade.

"He's just a kid, he will not harm you, let him go," he wheezed out, terror running up his spine.

"Shit! Shut up kid! Oh, I hate children. Shut up! I told you to shut up or I'll gut your papa!" another male voice cut in distance. The screaming got muffled soon.

"Relax, Shigeru, that's just a kid."

"That makes him even more annoying!"

Bandits, definitely bandits. And eight of them, if Gintoki counted right. Vagabond clothes completed with warrior belts, on which some carried swords; leather bracers that probably hid daggers. The fat one, the young one, the skinny one, so called Shigeru and others less characteristic, walking around in the corner of Gintoki's vision. Some rummaged through their packs. Shigeru gave Shouyou away to another bandit, who squeezed the wriggling child tight in his arms. Calling the situation a disadvantage would be like calling a monsoon a drizzle. Bandits didn't treat their victims with kid gloves.

"I'm just a traveler, take everything I got and let us go!" Sakata tried to plead once again.

"Heh, you have nothing valuable."

"Do you think we could sell the kid?" some voices debated.

"Eh, there are plenty of homeless children any age, he's of no use."

"So let us go, we are harmless!" Gintoki's voice trembled.

"Yeah, and first thing you'll do after getting out of the forest is to send a death squadron," the group burst out in laughter.

"No, no, I promise I won't tell anyone. Besides nobody will even believe us that we met - that is if me and my son get out of here safe and sound."

"Hahha, I can promise you that the dead are even better at keeping quiet."

"Shigeru?" some of them asked expectantly.

"Eh, let's take them to the boss, " said their temporary leader, the wide-shouldered man with a thick beard, "maybe he'll have an idea how to make money on the kid. Besides I don't want to leave the bodies so close to the route."

That was the moment to act, before it got worse, before Gintoki get both hands tied, before bandits reunite with the others. There was no chance they would just let them go, Gintoki knew it. He jerked his arm free and bumped the shoulder to the vagabond next to him. The young one didn't expect that, he fell to the ground and that was enough for Gintoki to stand up and throw a good punch at the fat one. The first was getting up, but Sakata managed to reached the man's groin with a kick. The advantage of surprise.

Shouyou was screaming again, the piercing voice drilling through the forests and their brains.

He spotted his bokuton on the ground under the biggest tree. Other five were coming at him, swearing, drawing their swords or daggers. They didn't hurry, confident in their numbers. The last one stayed with the boy.

Sakata ducked there and grabbed the stick. From now one it was supposed to be easy. The wooden sword couldn't counterblow the real one, but was good enough to change the direction of the blows and cause the damage to the opponent's body. Or so he though at the beginning, as he swiftly dodge the hit from the above, stepping aside. What followed was a well learned routine from many streets brawls. He smashed the bokuton on the enemy's arms , crushing them to the ground and as the man was falling down, Gintoki sent his elbow to meet his face. He didn't let them get to him all at once, constantly maneuvering, keeping a current opponent between him and the rest of the group. The next, the skinny one with a long dagger got a hit right on the cheek and the red fountain splutter from his mouth. But meantime he was trying to reached so called Shigeru, who kept ducking away from his blows, the fat one apparently recovered and threw himself on Gintoki from behind. The bandit locked him in his arms, keeping behind Sakata's back, out of reach, and hang his whole weight on him. He was resisting, struggling to keep on standing, but he knew too well that the fight was already lost. The defeated men rose to their feet and formed a tightening circle around them. They didn't need to interfere, they realized as well that it would soon be over. One foul step on the uneven floor, and something champed in Gintoki's ankle, excruciating pain multiplied under the weight of the body hanging on him. He felt to the ground and that was it for the hero's adventure. He lost his only chance to save their lives.

"Tie him!"

"Kill him!"

"Let's get out of here! It's too close to the path."

They threw themselves on him, subduing him with harsh kicks to anywhere they could reach.

Half- conscious Gintoki, with his hands tied on the back, with a rope around his chest, breathed the dust from the ground and listened to the shreds of the conversation. Voices reached him distorted as if he lied under water.

"Where's the kid?"

"I've got him, the little shit has bitten me!"

"Haha, we know that children love you!"

"Kojima, you hurry up ahead of us and inform the boss. See you in the camp."

The world was spinning, the sense of time lost. Bandits must have spent some time on treating their wounds, cleaning the mess, but they didn't give Gintoki enough time to recover. The hit of his own bokuton to his back made him jerked.

"You, walk!"

And so he had to, seeing one of the man already walking away, carrying Shouyou that struggled in his arms. He would not escape. Not in his condition. A suiting end for Sakata Gintoki, the wandering master of 1000 jobs, the man who had no home and no ties. No family except his newly found son.

The fair head bounced in the criminal's arm. If Gintoki managed to create the slightest opening for the boy to run... The little one was strong, smart. Shouyou survived so long wandering streets....

Gintoki grit his teeth and limped, guarded by the two men at his side. The pain in the ankle radiated up, sending the excruciation jolts of lightning to his brain, as they passed through the trees. But it was not that he would need his leg in the future. There was the last job before him, the most important one, and then he could rest...

"He's slowing us down!" the skinny one finally growled, voicing the frustration of the group. He sported a bruise from Gintoki's sword and the deformation made him look funny.

"Then, carry him if you're in a hurry!" Shigeru retorted.

"No way!"

They reached a glen of a sort, putting down their bags. Gintoki fell down immediately, hoping they stopped to rest. Yet the bandits whispered among themselves.

So this is it. This is the place. Gintoki closed his eyes and tried to calm down to ease the pain and formulate the last plan. The first birds woke up and started their endless melodies. Trees were moving on the wind, rustling rhythmically. If he put up a good fight before they kill him maybe Shouyou can escape. Now he needed all his remaining strength. Dizziness didn't help thinking straight. Birds singings drilled his brain...

He almost missed the strange whisper, a delicate swooshing...

Before he manage to identify it, sharp yell cut the silence. He immediately open his eyes to found the skinny one holding his belly, the arrow sticking through him. Another swoosh and the fat one screamed and squeezed the arm.

The scene that followed was like a mesmerizing dance. A figure jumped out of the air, its white robes flowing with every swift movement, long dark hair winnowed, a sword in hand. The blade seemed to glow as the shy light reflected on the metal.

Before anybody managed to scream, a first head flew into the air.

Gintoki's brain hardly processed what he was seeing. The man carrying Shouyou released the boy and grabbed his sword, paying all the attention to the unexpected opponent. But the apparition was one with the blade, cutting through the enemies' screams, silencing them forever. Even when the figure seemed to be pushed back, it always turned out to its advantage, luring opponents forward, using the momentum of their bodies to predict the strike. Gintoki had never seen anything like that. Ballet steps accompanied cunningness of a street fight. The edges of the apparition melted into the air, as the robes fluttered.

Forcing himself out of a trance, Gintoki crawled to Shouyou, who squatted behind a log.

"Listen carefully, I want you to run and hide. Don't go back until I call you, ok. And if anything happen to me, you need to get out of here as far as you can, do you understand me?"

The boy pierced him with his big eyes.

"Shouyou! Run and hide! NOW!", he urged him to go. The boy at last obeyed and disappeared into the forest.

Meantime the figure swooshed the sword in the air so the blood dropped off the weapon and then wiped it with a handful of grass. The battle came to its end, before Gintoki realized it was over. The blade sheathed, the fighter turned their full attention to the white-haired man.

A rather long face was framed with dark fringe and tresses, flowing freely on both sides. Thin nose, thin eyebrows and high cheekbones gave out a ridiculous in these circumstances image of a high-born lady. Maybe it was because of the pre-dawn cold light or the contrasts of the hair but her skin looked deadly pale. Ghostly. No woman Gintoki had ever known could fight like this, hah, no man he had ever known could. That was inhuman, as if she harnessed some invisible forces to her advantage.

She moved forward to him, her movement feline, soundless on the dry grass as if she weighted nothing, yet her figure seem strong, broad... She reached under her white haori and produced a dagger from the folds of her man's clothing - dark shirt and hakama.

Gintoki's head spun. That would be the biggest joke of fate, getting killed here mistaken for a bandit. Dying here by the hand of a forest goddess, Shiroyasha, the demon of Shiroyama, because who else could it be, if not the legendary protector of these lands. He felt panic rising in his lungs, fear of death multiplied by the actual meeting with the supernatural forces.

"Wait... wait... don't kill me," he yelled.

The figure stopped surprised.

"Are you hurt, Mister? I'm going to untie you," an unexpectedly deep voice laced with a gentleness, contradicting with the previous display of brutality, got out of her lips. His lips. The _man_ (or not?) was already kneeling in front of Gintoki and cutting through the ropes.

From this close the apparition seemed quite tangible. Worn out clothes, a cut on the shoulder sinking red, faint smell of hay and forest.

"You...." Gintoki wheezed out... "You... I am... just a traveler....attacked by the bandits..."

The honey eyes focused on Gintoki, temping, guessing. Their warm color remained Gintoki of tinted glass in the rich men's houses, that filtered the soft light into the peaceful afternoon.

"Ok, we're done." Sakata was free and immediately backed away. And so did the fighter, taking a respectful distance. " You can't walk, can you? Is there anything else they did to you? Where is the little boy?"

"How do you know all these? Wait. Who the hell are you!" the dread ceded to total confusion.

"I encountered the other half of the group first, " somehow Gintoki didn't have to ask to know what fate met those men. "They talked about catching a man with a child so I followed," the man curtly explained his reasons.

"I am traveling alone," Sakata stated warily.

"I wish you no harm, Mr. Traveler, and the forest is no place for a lonely child, " he said gently, got up and scrutinized the fight scene. He walked to the first body, checked for life signs and having found none, he dragged it into the bushes. He did the same with the others.

The skinny one was still breathing, lying in the pool of his own blood. He knelt beside him and started talking to him. Gintoki could hear just the shreds of the conversation.

"There's nothing I can do about your wound."

"Then kill me... kill me, please...." the wounded man pleaded.

"I will. And I will come back here and give you a proper burial. But tell me... a year ago in summer...in these forest, a caravan was attacked... a girl was with them...."

"No... no... I ... joined only this year... don't know... just kill me, hurry."

"Thank you. Rest in peace," and the man twisted the bandit's neck. Then he dragged his body away to the pile.

Gintoki watched the scene horrified. The honey-colored eyes caught his. How Sakata could be so wrong in his judgment. The eyes were more like of an animal's, a demon's!

"My wound is not fatal!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you, here, take my dagger if you feel better this way," he warrior passed him the weapon and knelt two meters in front of him.

"So, Mr. Traveler. You can't walk, but you need to get away from here, find your son and get rest. I need to clean up the place. Show me your leg."

The down-to earth approach tempted Gintoki to give in, but he stubbornly kept still. Shouyou was somewhere out there and he shouldn't keep the boy waiting. Yet the person before him perplexed him to no end. He couldn't decide if he met his savor or the doom even worse than the bandits. He couldn't even tell for sure if all of these was real, if the man was real.

"Your options are limited, Mister. Without help it'll be tough. It's at least two weeks to reach Shiroyama so if I went to get some help it would be already a month," the man pushed.

"Oh... you know Shiroyama," he clung to the idea, as if that could lend credence to the apparition.

"Mhm, I lived there once," he nodded.

Gintoki spread his leg and palpated it, still paying close attention to the man from the corner of his eyes. The ankle was swollen, throbbing, and the pain intensified with every movement or touch. No way he was going to walk soon and if he forced himself, he could damage his leg permanently. He wouldn't get out of forest alive, if not another bandits or animals then hunger would definitely kill them.

He took a deep breath and tried to think rationally. He needed this man or whatever that person was. Shouyou needed to be taken care of. It couldn't get worse, the apparition clearly didn't want to kill him (yet) and in Gintoki's hopeless situation that was good enough reason to use all the help the newcomer was willing to provide.

"Mister... ano... yes, I need your help. Don't leave me here."

"I won't. As I said we need to move from here and find your son. I... " he scrutinized Gintoki's leg, " Maybe I manage to carry you a little bit away from here, and you'll camp safely, How about it? Mr. Traveler?"

With no better options available he nodded and then added, "I'm Gintoki. Sakata Gintoki. My son's name Shouyou. He should be near, hiding somewhere. Shouyou! Shouyou, you can come out, it's safe now!" he shouted around.

After a few silent moments that felt for Gintoki like eternity, the child emerged behind a tree. Sakata was unspeakably glad that his rescuer cleaned the surrounding of the dead bodies.

"Come, Shouyou-chan. It's all right, we're safe now. This is my friend, mister....."

"I name is Katsura Kotarou, I'm honored to meet you Gintoki-san, Shouyou-chan. "

The boy ran through an arc, avoiding getting near the newcomer, to hid behind Gintoki's back. His father turned to him and embraced him tightly, soothing him with calming words.

"So papa cannot walk. And papa asked his new friend to carry him, ok? You'll walk beside us, ok? You're a brave boy, Shouyou!"

"Papa!"

"I'll try to take a good care of your father, Shouyou-kun. Can we...?

"Yes, please go ahead. Thank you, sir."

Katsura was moving slowly as to not startle them. He walked behind Gintoki, and hoisted him by the arms. The boy stayed in the safe distance from them, but his father, squinting from pain when he put the weight on the abused leg, kept talking to him, assuring him it was all right. The man threw Sakata's arm around his neck and then put an arm under the other's knee, to finally hoist him up in his arms.

Gintoki felt dizzy again, his injures severer than he first though or it was just the battle-rush was wearing off. His nose was overwhelmed by the scent of the pine forest. Birds melodies grew louder and some lose hairs of the man brushed at his neck. Normally it would feel awkward, shameful, but he was past caring about such things. Swaying of steps was lulling him to an unwilling sleep. In the last effort he turned his head to once again check on his son. The little one was walking beside, clinging to the fabric of Katsura's hakama.


	3. Chapter 3

Gintoki woke up in the middle of the day, stiff, swollen. He registered he was on the stream bank, the injured leg in the water, already frozen. Shouyou was splashing beside, digging into mud.

It all felt so surreal, bandits, the rescue, the unexpected ally, images tangling in his memory. It all must have been a dream. He propped himself into a sitting position and dizziness took over him. His leg burst in a radiating pain even though he only shifted his body a little. Kuso. That felt _real_ for sure.

"Shouyou, come here!" he called and his voice came out raspy.

The boy jumped to him in a split second. He immediately hid his head in Gintoki's chest, wordlessly asking for comfort. He must be still traumatized, the man thought.

"How are you feeling?" Is there anything that hurt you? Do you feel pain? Hungry?"

"Mhm!" the boy nodded, probably to the last word. Gintoki palpated the boy, but he didn't find anything wrong, the little one didn't wince either. Thanks gods, he was fine except tiredness and hunger.

"So, what are we going to do, Shouyou? Papa needs to rest, can't walk now. "

"We rest, papa rests." the boy answered, cuddling to him.

"Yeah, we need to rest," he repeated mindlessly, patting child's head. Then, surprised, he spotted their bags. "Oh! I thought we lost them!"

"Mhm, Zura brought them!" Shouyou explained as it was something obvious. The name didn't ring a bell for Gintoki.

"Zu... who?"

"Zu..ra," and then the boy added, "Papa's friend."

"Oh..." thinking was tiring. So instead of it, he crawled to rest his back on a tree trunk and asked Shouyou to get them food from the back pack. Fortunately they still had some supplies of ship biscuits left. So his memories must be true. They got attacked and then rescued by some... passer-by? by a ghost?

Hours of the day slipped through, just like his consciousness. Apparently he received a hell of the beating. He managed to instruct Shouyou to run in case of dangers and to leave him if he wouldn't wake up after two days, and then he allowed himself to submerge in a slumber.

Whatever. That was all he could do now. They still have food for a good couple of days. He needed to recover and then everything might be still be fine. At some point he felt that Shouyou cuddled to him, giving his papa his warmth and support.

He came to his senses at night. The boy was at his side, a ball of warmth squeezed under his arm. It was hard to open his eyes and sort out the images, soft orange light flickering, making all the shadows dance. Light? Sparks were flying up to the sky? He managed to turn his head to the source. Bonfire. He didn't remember setting it. Surely not Shouyou....

He got the immense feeling of somebody's presence, but before he unravel this riddle, his mind drifted again.

In the morning, he found the ashes, a few roasted fish and berries in his own wooden dishes.

Next days were similar. Gintoki napped most of the time, feeling incredibly weak, dancing on the verge of lucidity. The bruises were in full blossom on his skin, the ankle tripled its size, but he knew there was something wrong inside his body as well. But then, there was nothing he could do about it except what he was already doing - taking as much rest as he could. Once again he thanked Kami that Shouyou was such a special child. The boy silently played with sticks and stones by his side, or lied down beside him, understanding the situation.

The fire burned each night, food offerings repeated in the mornings, but Gintoki didn't exactly see anybody. Shadows were moving, his imagination spinning, and he thought he caught the glimpse of long-hair apparition in white clothes. There was nobody else in the vicinity than the mysterious fighter who saved them from the bandits. What was his name again?

Shouyou didn't help, saying that these were the gifts from the forest.

When he dwelled too much on the topic, the uneasiness crept into his chest. Was he being taken care of by... a forest demon? And for what purpose? No, no, no, what a stupid idea. There must be a logical explanation why that person hid throughout the days, why they happened to be in the right place in the right moment, why their feline gaze was so piercing back then.

On the fourth day from the attack, Sakata could feel he was on a good way to recover. His body still ached but he didn't fall into unwilling slumber in the middle of the day anymore. He could crawl throughout the camp and take care of the daily affairs. Surprisingly they had all their bags back and even more stuff, he didn't' recognize - more dry food, blankets, tools. Instead of worrying about the fact, he simply made use of them.

He and Shouyou took a refreshing bath that elevated their moods, he boiled water for herbal tea (woods already prepared at the fireplace) and he entertained his son with games and stories throughout the afternoon.

The advent of the night always brings out forest creatures of all sorts. This evening was no exception. Owls were hooting in the distance, something small was rustling in dry leaves. And so the darkness lurked out the apparition as well. The same tall, ridiculously feminine, incredibly pale and deadly dangerous man (person) silently walked out of the shadows into the glade lit by the fire camp. Shouyou decided it was a good idea to stay behind to his papa. Gintoki jerked in surprise from under the tree, although he had been expecting (hoping) for the visit of his rescuer

"Mister, Shouyou-chan, " the comer stopped at the forest line, slightly bowing his head in greetings, his speech slow, laced with lassitude, yet, the face didn't show much emotions.

Awkward silence fell on the camp. The apparition stood paralyzed for a prolonged moment, then continue. "Let me assist you, if there's something I can do for you," he said in a manner suited for the court.

"Mister. Yes, please. I mean, thank you" Gintoki's mouths got suddenly dry. The imminent danger was over, but as his biggest achievement today was to be able to crawl few meters away to relieve himself and to bath, he had a clear picture that surviving alone would be hard.

The man apparently was waiting for an invitation, as at the Sakata's words, he moved inside the camp and knelt in the respectful distance.

"I see you already started the fire. Good. In this case, I'll bring more woods. Here, a rabbit, please roast it, it is already clean." he passed a bundle to Gintoki. Then, he swiftly stood up, and disappeared in the wood. The night consumed the white creature.

It was so quick. So surreal. Yet, the weight of the package pressed down on Gintoki's hands.

"Papa?" Shouyou appeared at his side, two sharpened sticks, they prepared earlier, in his small hands. "Zura brought what?" he asked with innocent curiosity.

"A, rabbit, we are going to have a dinner and you will be a cook! Wait... Zuu...? Who?!"

"Papa's forest friend?" He repeated as few days ago. The boy must have known more about the situation that he was able to tell.

"How do you called him?"

"Zura. Brings forest gifts to us."

"Hey, listen to me, Shouyou-chan." Gintoki swallowed a gulp."That is nice of Zura-san, but papa just meet him, so we don't know each other much. You need to tell me everything you know about that person, and if he asked you to do something, you need to come to me immediately, understood?!"

"Mhm" the boy nodded, "he asked me how old I am. Papa says I'm five."

"What else?"

"Mhm... don't remember. Papa, rabbit!"

Surprisingly to Gintoki, this Zura came back, with arms full of sticks and logs. He nodded to acknowledge Gintoki, and made a few more rounds, until they had wood for the whole night. Shouyou kept to his father, but it was more because of shyness than fear. The comer was doing the most mundane tasks, and yet Gintoki couldn't shudder the feeling of absurdity. Everything was so... ordinary, while it shouldn't be at all. It didn't add up. When the person was putting the last log on the pile, Gintoki decided it was time to talk.

"Ano," he cleared his throat, "Zura-san..."

"Who?" the head sprung to face him, feline eyes caught in surprise but then the voice softened. "Ah, I'm Katsura Kotarou. And you're Sakata-san, if I remember correctly, are you sir?"

"Mhm, ano, Katsura-san... " the name rang a bell, and it wasn't just because he heard it when he was rescued from the bandits.

The man finished his job and turned to them, so he knelt a few meters away, fire between them.

"Mhm?" he urged Gintoki to speak, but Sakata suddenly didn't know what to say and he was so tired. Was he under some spell that robe a man from this words? The stranger didn't seem to mind the silence though. Believing the conversation was over, he stood up.

"Is there anything I can help you with, sir? Anyway, I'll be in vicinity just in case.

"Won't you stay with us?" Gintoki was half relieved, half uneasy about losing sight of him. "At least dine with us." he wanted... what he really wanted? To be polite, to thank the man with his own food? Or he wanted more answers? Safety? Security that he wouldn't be left alone in the forest? Wasn't the man himself the biggest threat? What if he kept them to lull their wariness?

"I've already eaten. I don't want to disturb your rest more than necessary."

"Zura-san..."

"It's Katsura! Katsura Kotarou." the man slightly winced.

"Sorry, so.. Zu.... eh, Kotarou-san, I... would like to thank you for your help and... it's that I won't be able to provide for my son alone...." he started to blabber nervously.

"I'll stay around as long as the situation requires, Sakata-san, haven't I said it already? Please don't worry about your safety and take as much rest as possible. "

"Thank you, sir. And call me by my name, please."

"Good night, then, Gintoki-san. If you need me, just shout my name. I'll come from time to time to keep the fire so you don' t need to wake up."

"Good night Zura-san," the boy joined in.

"Oh, it's not Zu..." his voice softened, "good night, Shouyou-kun, keep an eye on your papa. You're the head of the family while he's recuperating."

How do you feel, sir?" The long-haired figure was still there when he woke up at daybreak. He didn't move not to wake up the little one, just observed the person from half-opened eyes. The man was caring a clay vessel, which he didn't recognized at all, from the riverside.

"Like shit," Gintoki answered truly, but regretted it. Maybe he should be more reserved and polite with him?

"You took quite a beating, but I didn't see any open wounds when I checked you," the long-haired man continue. "There's not really much one can do about the sprain and bruises except wait till they fade." He put down the recipient under the tree. "I'm not sure if you found them, but in that bag there are potatoes. I'll visit you in the evening."

"Hey, wait..."

"Mhm...?"

"Thanks"

[***]

Katsura would appear in the morning just at the daybreak and in the evening, checking on them, bringing them food and stuff from the bandits' lodge. At least that much Gintoki was able to learn. Their temporary camp kept growing in numerous comforts: additional blankets, a cloth that served them as a roof, salt, spices. Gintoki deducted that the man spent the whole days just there, rummaging through the band's treasures, but being focused on his own hurt, didn't press for conversation or explanations. Their caretaker was as reticent as ever, the veil of mystery trailing around him, yet, he kept doing the simple activities for them: preparing food, accommodation the camp and such.

Shouyou spent his time observing the newcomer, balancing in the safe distance, but following Katsura's every movement with interests, and then literally following the man, like a curious kitten. No wonder, Gintoki wasn't the most interesting adult in his condition. The little one opened up to the long-haired man quickly, when Gintoki woke up to the sight of both of them piling pebbles, a competition of a sort.

Normally Sakata would be jealousy. Shouyou was his treasure, but now, he was only relieved that Katsura's presence didn't add up to the stress for the boy. When he was young, Gintoki had a six sense when it came to judge people intentions. That infallible intuition of a wild child get blunted as he grew older, but he believed Shouyou, brought up by the streets, possessed the same inner sensor for dangers. Apparently, he decided to trust the man.

Good, if he was not to come out of the forest alive, yeah, what a stupid thought, maybe this Zura would at least lead Shouyou to the nearest village? Whatever the man was hiding from, he must have still some pity left to help the innocent child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was high time to finally update this story. :)   
Thanks for your feedback.


	4. Chapter 4

"We need to move the camp, sir," Kotarou announced in his usual slow manner as he emerged from the morning light. Gintoki jerked in surprise, he didn't hear him coming, never had in fact. It was as if the man was one with the forest. "I found a suiting place about an hour from here."  
"Mhm," he just nodded. The proposition wasn't blatantly suspicious. It was inevitable. A week or so passed, Gintoki couldn't even tell, and animals were drawn to human settlements like moths to the flame. Especially the open one as this one. Only yesterday he needed to throw stones at a fox sniffling around their bags. He didn't need to see what else might come for them.  
Besides, Gintoki survived so long because he was smart. People wouldn't call him intelligent, no, not in terms of formal education. He barely could read and write. But life taught him to be cunning as he gained a ton of practical experience in dealing with people and hard times. He did, as a matter of prudence, considered the man to be wicked. When he really gave it a though, Kotarou despite his nice face and unexplainable concern, might be just another bandit, outlaw, fugitive... Whatever his true motivation was, the time played to Gintoki's advantage. With each day the man kept bringing Gintoki food and let him rest, he grew stronger.  
"What about the bandit's camp?" he asked, trying to fish out some information. Also a strange interest his companion held to that place started to pass on him as well. Oh, maybe he was just bored. Or slightly interested in their treasures. Or in the mystery of the man.  
"The path's there is difficult. I doubt you would be able to cover it," he already took liberties to start packing. "Besides, there's always a chance somebody who knew them might show up there."  
"Aren't you spending there the whole days?" Gintoki tried to fake disinterest.  
"Oh? Mhm... "  
"Why are you here, Zura-san?"  
"Katsura, please," he winced.  
"What are you doing here all alone, Katsura-san?"  
"I... am looking for... something..." he said as if guessing.  
"Right, not my business. I'm really grateful you're helping us. I won't tell anybody that we met, I promise."  
The man turned around to look at him surprised at the unspoken accusations. That dammed animalistic hazel eyes. "Shouyou-kun, would you help your papa?" He said to cut the conversation and returned to his task.

When they were finally ready, Gintoki tightly wrapped a cloth around his ankle, and then propelled himself on Katsura like he was a living crutch. He threw one arm around Kotarou's neck and grabbed a stick in the second hand, so most of his weight was off the injured leg. They made a few tentative steps and, satisfied with the results, began their walk.  
Shouyou ran in circles around them, excited that something was finally happening. The strange gut feeling that haunted Gintoki from their morning conversation subsided, replaced by a camaraderie of a common task. Maybe he was bored too, just like his son, monotony of their camp dragging on him.  
Gintoki for the first time saw their surroundings, but he did not recognize any of that. They moved through the bamboo woodlet to end up on a wider trail. The path was much more easier to traverse now. Shouyou kept disappearing and coming back, exploring the surrounding and no scolding could prevent him from doing it. No wonder, they moved in snail's pace. Gintoki was saving his breath, Kotarou too remained terse. He walked patiently, trying to match his movements to the injured man's ability.  
Still, the effort was tremendous. Gintoki broke in sweat, his hand on the stick trembling in exhaustion, more and more weight thrown at his companion. Rising heat didn't help, but he was determined to keep going, despite Katsura's occasional coaxing to have a rest. If he stopped, who knows, maybe his will to move would flee away.  
The decision was taken away from him, when Kotarou halted and dragged him to the big stone, where he helped him to sit down. Shouyou climbed up beside him, dangling his little legs, still fresh and energetic.  
"The clearing I was thinking about is a mile away up west." Their guide pointed his head to the wall of trees to his right, where terrain was more sloppy. "Take as much rest as you can, we can even stay on the trail, I'll notice if anybody will be getting closer, but really this path is not often used."  
Gintoki was too tired to respond. He slid down the stone to rest his back and unwrapped the cloth from his injured legs. The rush of ants and needles flooded him as the fresh blood kept coming back to the limb. He made a few circles with the feet. It hurt. It frigging hurt and he couldn't imagine himself moving anytime soon.

When the pause turned into longer break, Kotaro excused himself and disappeared, according to his declaration - to pick up berries. The forest again felt abandoned.

Gintoki was right. He didn't walk anymore that day. All his strength vapoured with the upcoming heat. Half an hour later Kotarou was back, carrying a cloth sinking in purple juice. Shouyou cheerfully ran up to him and received the berries. Kid's face was painted a moment later as he gobbled the fruits. Then he reflected, jumped to Gintoki, who lied where the man had left him, and started feeding his papa.  
When Katsura finally washed Shouyou hands from sticky juice - Gintoki was too tired to move and the little one didn't protest - the man ordered them to move. Shouyou was getting impatient and the hottest part of the day was about to come. Seeing Sakata's condition, the man eventually forced him to piggyback ride. No option left, Gintoki let himself be carried up the slope through the think forest.  
The terrain was uneven, cut through the rocks and dips. Gintoki wasn't the brightest observer, sluggishness fogging his brain now, but through the fabric of their clothes he noticed, surprised, that the man was lean, skinny. He shouldn't be able to fight off the bandit, to handle Gintoki's weight back then or now. Incredibly soft and well-kept hair, that smelled of pine, was rubbing his cheek. It didn't add up.  
It crossed his mind that beside no information on his rescuer he didn't know, didn't even ask, where they were. He was already lost when the bandits attacked them, had no idea where their previous camp was and where they were heading now. He was helpless in so many aspects and he surely didn't fancy that realization. If the man was to disappear... Or if he was something far worse than a simple thug... leading them astray...

"Astray" turned out to be a small clearing beside a stream, surrounded by young pines and a rock overhang, that would give them protection against foul weather. Trees and bushes effectively screen them from the outside world. The ground was sandy and would stay dry and warm during nights. A perfect place, bigger animals kept away from thicket and nobody would find them. And they too would not find the way back...  
Katsura put him down under the rock wall and passed him a water sack. Then he squatted beside him and drilled his eyes in him.  
"What hurt, sir? What is going on?"  
"Everything." Gintoki finally murmured. No more walking, that was sure. He was terrified how quickly his body gave up. His muscles were shaking, eyes closing with sleepy gravity. He had always believed in his strength, years of physical work and fight for survival gave him tough yet agile body.  
Katsura must took the complaint for serious. He slowly, delicately, put his long-fingered hands on Gintoki's shoulder, pushing slightly. "I'll help you lay down. Are you cold or hot? You need to tell me exactly what hurts," he asked as one of his hand traveled to his sweaty neck, checking the temperature. The touch tingled.  
In the corner of his eye, Gintoki saw Shouyou staring at them, his little mouths trembling. "I'm fine," he barked, pushing Kotarou away."I am just exhausted."  
The man moved his hands away, but didn't step aside, still assessing his condition.  
"I'm fine," he repeated, feeling awkward. "As much fine as I can be, just need rest. Don't stare at me like that, you're making Shouyou worry about me," he added quieter.  
Something unreadable passed through Kotarou's face and then he excused himself with a short apologetic bow.  
"I'll fetch you food and I'll go to bring your packs form the old camp then."

Gintoki crawled into the waning shade of the overhang, trying to escape the heat. Shouyou had a better idea, he was busy exploring shallow waters in search for unusual pebbles. He could hear the happy chipper coming from boy, so he assumed he was fine by himself.  
His nap was regularly interrupted by either Shouyou, yearning for attention or by the whump of bags Kotarou kept bringing in. Each time he checked on the boy, then on Gintoki, staring at him from the respectful distance with his strange honey eyes, but didn't say anything nor did he answer lame conversation starters Sakata threw at him. Then, unasked, he would fetch him some useful stuff from the bag, he had just recover from the previous camp or bring more water.

In the late afternoon the heat became more bearable and Gintoki felt refreshed. He crawled to the stream and give himself a quick wash. It flowed faster than the lazy rivulet at their previous camp, but it carried similar amount of waters. Taking account what Gintoki learnt about the topography of this mountains, this could be the same watercourse all the time. And if not, it surely met the other one. In worst case scenario, he would just wander along the river to walk out of this damned forest. Damn with Shiroyama, Gintoki could go wherever he wished. Why had he chosen this cursed mountains at all?!  
The other side of the bank was rocky, changing quickly into a thickly vegetated hill. Apparently their hideout was surrounded by a difficult terrain from each side. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea; the walls of forest seemed to close in on him, catching him in their endlessly green trap. He couldn't spot any usual animal paths crossing the bushes, let alone traces of human presence. A land unstained by no-one. How could this Kotarou knew about such a place? Was he... even human? He saw him in the middle of the day, right? But the sunlight didn't colored his cheeks at all. He spoke to him - but did the man truly answer? Come one, he touched his body! - and the strength didn't match the lean frame either. No, no, no, what a stupid idea. A bored mind could come up with incredible fantasies, Gintoki had better start thinking about his health and leaving this damned forest once and for all!  
"Shouyou! Have you washed yourself? Come here," he called, and the little one was already beside him, splashing in the water. He was all wet from his previous adventures, but Gintoki guessed that was fine in such a weather. "Oi, oi, it's all muddy now, let us wait a little bit? Meantime, you can tell me how do you like the place."  
"So cool!", the boy hanged his little hands around Gintoki's neck, carelessly putting all his weight on him."The cave, papa," he giggled to his ear.  
"Oh? The cave?" he followed boy's vision. "Ah, it's just an overhang," he decided to tease the boy, "our house has only one wall!"  
"And many pebbles. Foh building!"  
"So that's what you've been doing all the day, collecting stones to build walls in our house?"  
"Nooo! Foh castle!"  
"Mhm.... do you want to be a prince now? Princes have a very boring life. They have to wake up in the morning... wear uncomfortable clothes, be nice all the time.... oh, and they can't quarrel with their parents! Right, you are a prince from now on, and you have to listen to me, my grace!"  
"Nay, I'm Shouyou!"  
"Have you forgotten, Prince Shouyou can't quarrel with his papa."  
"Nay! I want to be Shouyou!"  
"Your wish is my command, the water is clear now, let's give ourselves the royal wash!"  
"Naayay!" the squeak of protest quickly turned into excitement when he jumped into the water again raising the mud.

With newly found strengths and optimism, Gintoki moved through the camp on all fours. He lazily unpacked their now abundant belongings while Shouyou drew lines on the sand, dividing their camp into "rooms". They ended up with comfortable bedroom under the overhang, a pantry, a closet, a living room and a kitchen around the fireplace in the middle of the space, and even a "shed" with woods, they collected from the nearest area. The boy prepared a playroom for himself, where he proudly stashed his collections of pebbles.

When the dusk arrived and the water was merrily boiling in the kettle, Kotarou appeared again. So did Gintoki's uneasiness. He attached mixed feelings to the mysterious man, but mostly the drop of his mood came from much simpler fact. The stranger's presence brought his thoughts back to his predicament. That was no pleasure trip, no idyllic father-son walk through the wonders of nature. But the stranger was also the only break in the monotony, the only source of information and entertainment and it was high time to learn something.  
Shouyou didn't seem to care though, he gave the comer welcoming squeak, responded with a delicate smile and bow of the head. The boy's attention flew away, but Katsura's eyed stayed glued on him.  
Gintoki ostentatiously cleared his throat, slightly alarmed. Kotarou turned to the sound. Flames from the campfire flickered in this honey eyes and made the shadows dace on his face. His features melted down in tiredness. Not of the single day, not of just simple exhaustion of physical work.  
"I've... "Kotarou was lost for a moment, timid," ...for dinner, " he stepped closer and put a naked body of a big bird, already cleaned, on the heap of grass in front of Sakata. He turned away to walk away.  
"Wait!"  
"Oh..."  
"Eee... would you sit? Eee... stay in camp? We've never had a chance to talk", he explained awkwardly.  
"Right," Kotarou lowered himself to the to the ground in non-intrusive distance, and hid his hands in wide sleeves of his haori. "You've been mostly sleeping these days."  
"Yes... so... You know the region well, don't you?" Gintoki tried to come up with some neutral questions.  
"Mhm, I come from here."  
"Here?! Like... from the forest?!" he gulped nervously.  
"I mean from this province. I lived in Shiroyama once, I told you the first day, but I'm not surprised you don't remember."  
"Oh."  
The conversation halted. It seemed the man fought with some thoughts and then picked up the thread again.  
"Where are you from, Gintoki-san?"  
"Hagi. It's a small town in Yamaguchi prefecture." he leapt to the chance to weave the chat.  
"Mhm, I know the place."  
"Yeah, it was kinda famous a decade ago, or I would rather say 'infamous' with the whole rebellion".  
"Mhm... anyway, it's so far away from here. Can't imagine what brought you here. But fate tosses people all over the country," he added, allowing Gintoki to politely ignore the previous question.  
"In fact, I do travel across the country. I offer my services and move from village to village. Wood work," he said with a hint of pride in his voice, "or constructions, or anything that pays. I would die of boredom sitting all life in one workshop." He shrugged the shoulders. "I was going to Shiroyama, when the bandits attacked us. I hope for plenty of work there."  
"How long were you in bandit's captivity?"  
"Huh? About a few hours."  
"Sir," a pause, " I don't really care from who you hiding from."  
"I'm not hiding from anyone! And what with that a stupid though?!"  
"Like I said. I want to help you, sir." Katsura seemed super serious. "I don't need to know anything about you. I just though a forest is not a good place to raise a child. Do you have any sort of plan to overcome whatever is troubling you?"  
"I am not hiding from anyone! "he huffed," I am Sakata Gintoki, a nomad worker. It's my job to move. What's so strange about it?"  
"Don't worry, I don't leave the forest often, so it's not that I could tell anybody you crossed this lands," he said placatingly but obviously he was not convinced.  
"You have it completely wrong! How on Earth did you come to such a conclusion! I'm not the suspicious one here!" he bit his tongue in the last moment.  
"Nobody choose this trail near which I found you," he explained unfazed." No traveler. Bandits do, some local people might but it's not a path leading to Shiroyama. We're at least ten days away from the trade route that run through these mountains. Everybody has their reasons, but apparently it wasn't your wisest decision to run here unprepared and with a child. I'm just asking, what are you planning to do, when you're able to move? I don't care who you are or what you've done."  
"What?! How long are we from the route! Ten days? Do you know how to get back there? And I don't hide. I am lost. Believe me, I'd give anything to leave this cursed forest once and for all!"  
"Better, I know the shortcut to Shiroyama if that is where you want to go."  
"Yes! Yes! Anywhere away from here would be good. Mhm, but you've never explained what are you doing here. Maybe you are hiding then? Ha?"  
"Hiding?" Gintoki feared he irked the man, but he only raised his brow and continued patiently. " No, I... just walk through this area. I am searching... Actually I've been tracking these bandits for some time."  
"Revenge?" he spluttered, recalling bandits' massacre.  
"I don't enjoy killing, but I don't refrain from it if needed..."  
"So... the treasure? I mean, I'm not judging."  
"No..... they were quite poor for the bandits, or they hid their true treasures somewhere else. I can bring some coins from their camp if you want, but I'll warn you, you're going to carry them."  
"Don't you care about money?"  
"Did you see a shop around here?"  
"But for the future."  
"What future? You cannot turn a piece of metal into food here."  
"So what do you do in their camp?"  
"I am searching... Looking through their stuff. Sometimes they kept personal items of... "he gulped" of their victims."  
"So this was a revenge, after all."  
"I don't know. I don't really know if these were the people that... anyway yes, I guess they deserved it either way."

The food was sizzling. Shouyou threw a handful of pines into the fire and muttered quiet "whoah" every time he heard a crack.

"Well, I don't want to disturb your peace any longer." Katsura stood up and dust his knees. It seemed the last topic made him uncomfortable. " I'll be near, just call me if needed."  
"Eee, I guess we are doomed for our company, at least I am. You can as well stay in the camp, Zura-san...  
"It's Ka-tsu-ra. I'll be coming to check on fire. Rest now." His white figure quickly faded in the shade of forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I'm updating. This story turned out to be more challenging than I expected, but as always the best solution is to keep writing, keep working.  
I'd love to hear what do you think about it.  
Oh, and check out the illustrations, currently in chapt 1 and 2,


End file.
